This season is proving the Raptors and Knicks both won the OG Anunoby trade

OG Anunoby joined the New York Knicks after a midseason 2024 trade that sent Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to Toronto. The move followed Fred VanVleet leaving in free agency and Pascal Siakam soon departing, marking a shift away from the franchise’s older core. Toronto leaned into a youth movement led by Scottie Barnes, using Quickley and Barrett as younger pieces aligned with Barnes’ timeline. The Raptors became less competitive immediately, but the rebuild accelerated the next team iteration. Two seasons later, Toronto nearly won its first playoff series in the Barnes era, while Raptors fans could still appreciate Anunoby’s impact as a top wing defender and scoring option.

"A midseason trade during the 2024 season sent Anunoby to New York and brought two Raptors starters, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, to Toronto. That was a turning point for the franchise. Fred VanVleet had recently left in free agency, Anunoby was traded, and Pascal Siakam was soon to follow. It was a true changing of the guard in Toronto. The team was fully committing to leaning into a youth movement led by Scottie Barnes."

"OG Anunoby is a fantastic player. He is one of the very best wing defenders in the league and is capable of giving your team 20 points on any given night. But the Raptors' 2023 and 2024 seasons were marked by an uncertain identity. Toronto had All-Star level players who contributed to the franchise's first championship, but they were also not the same talented team of the late 2010s anymore."

"Letting VanVleet walk in free agency and trading away Anunoby and Siakam gave the team a youthful identity. Quickley and Barrett gave Toronto younger players who fit better with Barnes' timeline, making the trade less about giving up on Anunoby and more about finally choosing a direction. It made Toronto less competitive in the present, but moving on from past success and building for the future allowed them to start making the next iteration of the team quicker."

"Two seasons later, the Raptors almost won their first playoff series of the Scottie Barnes era. Raptors fans should be cheering for Anunoby. Anunoby was a beloved Rap"

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